Family structure is one of the most important influences on a child’s development. The environment children are reared under has long-lasting effects on how they process things and who they become later in life. Familial relationships are full of ups and downs and navigating these tough waters can be at times fulfilling and in other moments some of the most challenging times we’ll ever have. Waves is the story of one South Floridian family navigating life as most of us are; two teenagers in Tyler (Kelvin Harrison Jr.) and Emily (Taylor Russell) going to school, enjoy friends and extracurricular activities while their parents Ronald (Sterling K. Brown) and Catharine (Renée Elise Goldsberry) run an architectural business and raise their children the best they know how. But soon, their idyllic suburban life is thrown into chaos following tragedy and in its wake, they are left to try to figure out how to navigate loss, guilt, love, and forgiveness.
While watching Waves, its resonance with one particular aspect of the black experience is striking and immediately jumps out. As Tyler finds himself descending deeper into a hole from which he’s unable to escape, it is obvious that his hesitance to go to his parents for help is playing a major role in keeping him trapped. Tyler’s relationship with Ronald is a clear reason why he chooses to withdraw rather than seek their counsel. Ronald’s “tough love, be strong because the racist world we live in doesn’t allow for black vulnerability” style of parenting will be a familiar one for black audience members, males in particular. The harshness that black Americans are surrounded by and forced to endure at absurdly young ages has been an almost daily point of discussion for six years now. Ronald’s instinct to use tough love toward his son so that a police officer’s service weapon won’t do it in his stead is a common refrain among black parents, but what room for the tenderness and care that all children need does this guerrilla training for young black children leave? Studies have shown that love and affection shown to children during their development, or lack thereof, has major implications for their mental and physical health as adults. The obstacles Tyler encounters throughout the time we spend with the character, when coupled with the constant pressure of trying to live up to who his father envisions him being, results in an identity crisis for the young man. So much of who he is is wrapped up in what others expect for him resulting in Tyler never truly knowing himself. When it all comes crashing down, he has no self-image on which he can re-center himself and get back on track. Had Tyler experienced a healthier relationship with his father, one that included openness as well as discipline, the eventual outcome we see could have been avoided. In our mission to protect black children from the perils of the world, it’s important that black parents not lose sight of providing the love at home they also need and are entitled to receiving.
Another intriguing aspect of Waves is that it’s really two separate films merged into one; the first half following a downward spiral and the second half serving as an immediate sequel to the first, chronicling the effects of the previous events on those who are left. The sudden shift in tone may be jarring for some, particularly upon an initial viewing, but through this portion of the film we experience the after-effects that Tyler’s fall from grace has on his entire family through the experience of his sister Emily, who is left to not only deal with the guilt of being a bystander to her brother’s descent, but also the devastation it has wrecked on the marriage of her parents. The challenges that the death of a child present to marriages is well-documented and while Ronald and Catherine do not experience this level of loss, the film’s events do present a similar level of emotional struggle for the couple to work through. Emily must deal with the deterioration of their relationship while processing her own feelings and this half of the film, while more quiet, contemplative, and subtle, packs just as much of a punch in its silent depiction of grief and rebounding from tragedy as the first half’s loud depiction of the path toward destruction. Family healing is a major point of emphasis in this film and Lucas Hedges shines in his role as Luke, a shy suitor for Emily that ends up offering a shining light for Emily’s recovery as she helps him work through his own issues with his father.
The film’s ensemble cast is impeccable from top to bottom beginning with the actor who is having perhaps the best year of anyone onscreen this year (though Scarlett Johansson has something to say about that) in Kelvin Harrison Jr. The young actor follows his incredible turn as the lead actor in Luce with a second Oscar-worthy leading role here in the same calendar year as Tyler. His portrayal of a young man in crisis trying to hold onto some semblance of normalcy as his life slowly falls apart is horrible to watch unfold but impossible to turn away from. The descent into drug use and anger as a result of the sum of a series of unfortunate choices and circumstances is perfectly acted out by Harrison making Tyler’s story believable and real. After the 2019 he has had it’s hard not to crown him the best young actor on the rise. I fear that Waves and Luce will be too sparsely seen to garner Harrison one of the award nominations he so obviously deserves and that is a crying shame. Taylor Russell is the lead of Waves‘ second half and she takes the baton right away from Harrison and crosses the finish line triumphantly as well. Her performance is necessarily more subdued as the script demands but just as powerful in its depiction of a young person in crisis. The tenderness she displays in healing others while also trying to heal herself is a strong message to send. Sterling K. Brown is also receiving Oscar buzz for his portrayal of Ronald and deservedly so. Best Supporting Actor is at least ten contenders deep this year, but Brown’s portrayal of the journey of a parent forced to confront their mistakes and left to try to pick up the pieces will force many viewers to ask themselves tough questions and ponder tough social questions as it did this critic.
Waves is probably the most emotionally intense and chaotic cinematic experience you will have in a theater this year. Watching the first half of the film unfold creates a feeling of intense dread and helplessness like watching a slow motion car crash. You things are headed toward an unfortunate conclusion and you’re left to occupy the edge of your seat as you watch the inevitable arrive with no chance for recourse. After coming out of this jarring journey, Waves makes an abrupt turn and becomes an entirely different film, something many may have trouble processing. While it is a sudden shift in real time, thinking about it afterward makes all the sense in the world and fits thematically with the theme director Trey Edward Shults is looking to convey. Life is a series of emotional waves, ebbs and flows of joyous, happy moments followed by moments of pain, conflict, and uncertainty. As human beings we must all deal with these waves eventually and consistently in our travels, but how we respond to them is what matters. One big reason this point is made so well is the portrayal of these characters, including yet another Oscar-worthy performance from superstar actor in the making Kelvin Harrison Jr., Taylor Russell in her shift from supporting to lead, and Sterling K. Brown’s emotional turn as a father in crisis. Waves is a thought-provoking examination of what makes families strong; not just loving each other, but leaning on that love to lift each other up through the hard times.
Image: A24
